Lies Among Truth
by ScarlettBlossom
Summary: Scarlett had been hiding for years. She's an expert at it. But when it's time to face the truth in a life full of lies even she can't hide forever...
1. Chapter 1

A pretty face. That's what people thought she was.

They ignored her toned, strong body and messed up personality and looked at her face. A pretty face. She had beautiful, glistening emerald eyes. She also had a nose, lips, but people didn't ignore them. They instantly took her as a sweet, kindhearted girl. They had no idea. . .

_Rain ran down her cheeks, hiding her salty tears beneath a layer of wet, clean water. The night was dark but beautiful. Stars glistened like little gems in the sky and a full moon could be seen from a mile away. It wasn't as pretty as the girl wearing black though. She wore no coat, showing her skinny arms that were freezing to death. She wore a simple night tunic. Nothing special. Not that she could afford special._

_ Her eyes were her main feature. Giant orbs of glistening emerald showed she was from the Earth Kingdom yet she could fire bend.. She had a talent that couldn't go to waste in a ally way for the rest of her years. And yet, she wasted her time anyway. You couldn't ignore a person like that. Someone of many talents and someone as beautiful as her. Her hair, the color of red, would certainly catch people's attention. Too bad she was named after her hair. . ._

She drags her tired legs behind her as she walks. She circles the halls a few times, a confused expression planted on her face. Had she been down this hallway before? Where was the exit? She had no idea. She shook her head sadly as she walks. _It was useless, _a voice in her head said, _I'm lost forever with no way of getting out._

"Hey Scarlett!" A familiar voice came from behind her.

Scarlett turned around to find a young woman standing there. She had darker skin then hers and black hair. Kirra's blue eyes scanned over Scarlett before frowning. "What the hell happened to you?"

"I'm lost," She explains, her voice solemn. "I can't find the exit."

Kirra points to a doorway behind her. Just above that doorway is a sign saying _exit_.

Scarlett sighs as she walks up to her friend. "I'm overworked," She says, stretching out her arms as she yawns. "I need a break."

Kirra nods. "You sure do. Let's go back to my place for some food." Scarlett unwillingly followed her collegue out of the Pro-Bending Arena. She had been practising for hours and the last thing she needed was more walking.

"Kirra?" She calls to her friend who was way up ahead of her.

"Yes?"

Scarlett smiles sheepishly before answering, "Can I have a piggyback?" She got a sigh in response.

"Come on," Kirra urged her onwards. "Nara gets grumpy when she's hungry, and we don't want a rampaging polarbear-dog running around our house."

Scarlett followed her into a house. It wasn't a small house and it wasn't a big house, it was an average house. A nice house. The outer walls had been decorated with different shades of cream and brown while the interior was a lot more. . . what was the word? _Normal? _Yes, that was it. The interior was a lot more normal than the outside walls would suggest.

They had nice furniture, Scarlett could say that much. In the living room was duck egg blue walls and the couches seemed to have fur blankets thrown over them. They had a few coffee tables here and there and a TV. Ah, a nice, normal TV. Scarlett had sat on the couch while Kirra had walked into the kitchen to get the food she had promised.

"Noodles?!" Kirra calls to her from the other side of the wall.

"Yeah, okay!" Scarlett called back with a sigh. Noodles, again.

Nara had popped her head around the doorway into the living room at the mention of noodles. The huge Polarbear-Dog lazily walked into the room and onto her bed. She slouched down on her bed, her head lying down on her paws. Scarlett always thought those animals looked really uncomfortable, but Nara didn't seem to mind.

Kirra came into the room with two steaming hot bowls of chicken noodles in each hand. Nara's head instantly shot up at the scent and she quickly followed it back to the bowls Kirra had placed on the tables.

"So, what's up?" Kirra asks, waving the steam coming from her noodles.

"Nothing really," Scarlett replied. She didn't touch her noodles yet. By now she already knew Kirra would have put way over-boiled water into the noodles and they would burn the mouth off her if she even tried to eat them.

"Did you tell your brothers your in Republic City?" Kirra asks curiously, giving her noodles a good stirring.

Scarlett bit her lip and stayed silent. She hadn't spoken to her brothers in about 10 years, and she didn't much fancy telling them she had come back. _What would they have to say to me?_, she had asked herself one day, _What would you say to a long lost sister you haven't seen in almost 10 years?. _Numerous things popped into her head, most of which were unpleasant insults from which she thought would recieve from them. She had even forgotten what they were like; their looks, they're personalities. She had no idea who they were anymore, so why was she so quick to judge?

"Judging from that silence, that's a no?" Kirra asks, waking Scarlett up from her thoughts.

"I just don't know what to say." She sighs. She goes to pick up her noodles, but as soon as her skin touched the boiling hot bowl she brought it back, holding it tight against her chest. "And more importantly, I don't know what they will say."

Kirra raises an eyebrow. Many a times they have had this conversation, and all those times Scarlett had said almost exactly the same thing. "They aren't children anymore," Kirra tells her softly. "They have changed immensely since you have last saw them. Give them a chance, will you?"

Scarlett looked at her best friend. Kirra looked painfully concerned about the situation so Scarlett decided she would reply.

"I'll try to." She says, a small smile forming across her face.

"And the fire bending?" Kirra asks.

And then, the doorbell rings.


	2. Chapter 2: Nothing to Hide

_ She hadn't liked it when her parents had died, who would have? She was upset and angry. She didn't know any better._

_ Running away wasn't the best of her ideas. She didn't think about the effect it would have on the people around her. The people who loved her. She just ran out into the rain. Nobody had stopped her. Not that anyone would be able to. The only two people who could have stopped her had died. She wasn't taking anything from anyone. And after that she had changed from the lovely, beautiful girl she was to something else. She was still pretty but her face was always wearing a scowl. A cold hearted glare that could almost tear a person in two. She was pretty messed up._

And then, the doorbell rings.

"Who could that be?" Scarlett asks, a hint of worry making itself known in her voice.

"Hide?" Kirra suggested and Scarlett jumped over the couch and hiding there. She kept her head low and her own back was pressed up against the couch. She slowed her breathing. She was completely silent. It was impossible to see where she was hiding.

She could hear Kirra moving to the door and welcoming someone in. She recognised the voice.

"Hi. Sorry I'm late, I was working." Mako's voice made its way to Scarlett's ears and she froze up. What would happen if he found her. . .?

"It's fine." She heard Kirra reply "Let me hang up your coat."

Footsteps welcomed themselves into the living room. More talking.

"Did you have somebody over?" Mako asks. She could practically hear his frown. "I thought it was just the two of us. . ."

A clank of bowls and Kirra was talking again. "N-no," She said quickly. Scarlett ignored her pause. She was hoping Kirra came up with an excuse but if one wasn't found soon, Mako would be searching the whole city to find out why she was lying. "One was for Nara." Their voices drifted away as they walked into the kitchen.

Scarlett looked around at her hiding place. She decided it would be safe since they couldn't see or hear her as they were in another room. A tiny daddylonglegs spider crawled the wall. She flinched back at the sight of it's creepy movements but relaxed once she saw what it was. There was a carpet of dust behind the couch. Obviously where Kirra thought needed no cleaning.

Approaching voices filled her head and she instantly, and soundlessly, returned to her hiding position.

"-was hoping we could actually stay here for another while. If it's the same for you?"

Kirra replied swiftly. "Yes, of course."

` The couch moved a little as someone sat on it. Soon after another sat down and yet again it moved. Scarlett's mind assured her that it was Mako who sat down first and not Kirra. Kirra wouldn't do such a thing like that.

"If I may ask, where is our Avatar?" Mako's voice could be heard as if he was standing right beside Scarlett. Which he techinically was - except he was sitting, _not _standing.

"I don't know. Probably doing avatar stuff." The couch shifted with every movement they done. It seemed as if Kirra was shifting nervously in her seat.

"Ah, okay then."

And then, Scarlett had an urge to cough. She moved silently, covering her mouth and making a noise so small it could hardly be heard.

Mako had heard it alright. Scarlett knew this because Kirra started coughing. She was trying to cover it up.

Scarlett swiftly moved to the other side of the couch. That was the side Kirra was sitting on and Mako was already too busy looking at where she wasn't. He obviously didn't see anything out of the ordinary as he had returned to his original seat just as Scarlett returned to hers.

"Kirra," He starts, standing up now. "What is going on? What do you have to hide?"

Scarlett could practically Kirra looking towards to ground shamefully. She didn't answer.

"Are you. . . are you hiding something? No - someone?"

Still no answer.

"It all makes sense now." His dectective mode was kicking in. By now he would be adding up all the details in his mind. "The bowls, the way you wanted to go out, the cough. . . Who and where is this _someone_?"

A moments pause made Scarlett freeze. She knew he didn't know where she was, why worry?

And suddenly, her eyes widened as she looked up to see Mako staring down at her.


	3. Chapter 3: Unanswered Questions

_She was in a war with herself. Locked out from the world, the girl in question stumbled into some cover from the rain. She slowly collasped on the ground as she observed her surrondings. She was under a bridge. Which one, she did not know, but what she did know was that this was going to be her home and no one would bother her there. She cried softly as she lay all her weight against the wall as she tried to stand up. She couldn't. Even though she hadn't endured phsical pain, it hurt for her to move. An ache occured from about where her heart used to be. There was nothing in there now except an empty, dark, black abyss._

He was staring into those panicking eyes as she was questioned.  
"Aren't you going to talk?" He asks her. "I want answers to why your in Kirra's house."  
The girl in question sighed. "My name is Scarlett," She begins. Mako eyes widened slightly. He knew that name. It was the name of his younger sister who had ran away from himself and Bolin after their parents had died. But as a cop, he wouldn't believe her yet. Even so, he hesitated. _Could this be her? If so, I'm not sure she's going to tell me. She mightn't even know herself. But if she does know, I'll need to beat it out of her - politely. _

"I was born from parents of the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation. I'm also a fire-bender. I would like to help guide the Avatar as she works on making the world at peace." She finished.

"_Fire-bender?_" Mako asks. "You have green eyes, impossible. Stop making up rubbish and tell me what's actually happening."

Scarlett held up her hand in a fist and a bright flame rose from it. Mako could feel the heat of the flame from where he stood. She smirked and she disquinguished it. And that was all the proof he needed.

Mako scowled. She just _had_ to take that from her, didn't she? He didn't question it too much. He'd have to ask Beifong later. Mako shrugged it off and decided to continue the questioning. "State your occupation." He commands.

Scarlett, as if she knew she was going to be a while, sat back down on the couch she had been hiding behind. "Member of the Polarbear-Dogs who are in need of a earth bender." She shifted in her seat nervously. He mentally noted this. It meant she was hiding something.

"Have you ever been involved with the police beforehand?" was his next question.

Scarlett nodded slowly, keeping her face straight but clear worry could be seen in her glistening eyes. "Three times. Twice for robbery of fruit stall and a third time for slapping a police officer." A slight smile played at the corner of her lips, barely noticable.

"Do you have any family contacts?" That was the question that really mattered. Scarlett froze up but shook her head quickly.

"No. I was an orphan." _Damn,_ he thought, _she's lying - I know she is. _

"No family? Where have you been living for the past years?"

"Various ally ways and abondoned buildings. I made some pretty bad allie choices."

Mako looked over at Kirra. She knew everything about her and he knew it. Maybe he shouldn't be questioning Scarlett but instead. . .

"Kirra, is she lying?" he asks, his tone of voice full of commandance.

Kirra glanced between the two. Should she lie and keep her best friend or tell the truth and keep the person she cared for most? She had no idea. Mako and Scarlett were staring at her to see her answer. They both would know if it's the truth or not. Mako is just trying to get a confession out of his long lost sister. She thought about it for a couple of long, dwelling minutes before answering;

"Yes, but you both already know the truth." Kirra crossed her fingers and hoped she wasn't about to loose somebody that was close to her. Scarlett stood up. Mako was unknowing of what was to come.

And suddenly she hugged Mako.

He was stunned at first, lost for words. She was crying slightly, he could feel the drops of water that had falling off her cheek and onto his shoulder. She made no noises but it was a happy cry. A cry someone might make when a miracle happens. He hugged her back. Kirra smiles softly. She hadn't seen anything this amazing in ages. A lost family, reunited.

Scarlett took a step back, dragging an arm across her eyes. She inhaled and exhaled, returning her face back to her normal, pale color of skin. In moments she looked normal, happy, but the tears kept coming.

Mako looked at the young woman that stood before him. She was barely recognisable as she had changed so much through the years. But the same could be said for Mako.

Slience followed after, no one wanted to break it. But of course, as everything did, it soon would have to end too.

Mako cleared his throat. He couldn't see why Kirra had kept it from him. He shrugged it off and sat down on the couch. Scarlett sat beside Kirra on the one she was sitting on.

"How long have you been in Republic City?" He asks her.

Scarlett thinks for a moment but shrugs. "A few years. I met Kirra only a few weeks ago."

"And why were you hiding from us?"

` Another shrug but this time with an added sigh. "I-I guess I just didn't know what you were gonna say. I thought something else might've happened but I must have miss-judged."

"That's okay. You tend to forget who people are when you haven't even seen them in ten years."

Scarlett shook her head. This is what she thought it'd be like. A lot of insult throwing and hurt feelings. "I didn't leave without reason-"

"What reason would that be? You didn't love us anymore?"

Beautiful eyes flared up with anger. His tone of voice was harsh but she didn't actually have a reason. That's the thing about her brother - he always had a point.

"No, and you know it wasn't like that. I was stupid and arrogant. Too young to make decisions without my parents. Not that you were much of a brother to me anyway."

Mako was silenced but eventually replied. "I helped you in every way I could."

"Not the way I remember. I remember you and Bolin, hanging out of each other all the time. Did you forget you had a sister or something? Bo was the only one that actually cared about me. You blocked me out."

"So you were jealous over Bolin liking me more? That's a great reason to leave us on our own."

"At least _I'm _admitting my mistakes! You drove me away from my own family, don't you feel a sense of regret?"

"Of course. I regret not ditching you when I had the chance."

"See?! This is the reason I left. After our parents died you became insufferable. Your picking on me when I done nothing! Sure, running away is quite bad in itself but being the reason somebody did run away is worse."

"You left us," Mako replied through gritted teeth.

"You made me!"

"Guys," Kirra interrupts. "I think your both overseeing the little fact that you both love each other and should stop fighting like a bunch of idiots."

Scarlett turned to face her. "This whole thing wouldn't have happened if _you_ didn't show him where I was in the first place." Now, Scarlett was crying for a whole different reason. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she cried silently. She then stood up and for a moment, it looked like she would have hit Kirra but she thought better of it and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

Kirra sighed and looked over at Mako. He looked hurt and angry. He turned to face her and his expression softened no less. It was true it was kind of her fault for the whole thing but Scarlett was the one who was in the wrong here, wasn't she?


	4. Chapter 4: Changes

_A few years had passed. She stopped being the weak, sad, little girl she was and turned into a strong, capable, beautiful teenager. She grew her hair long, until it reached her elbow. She wore shaggy clothes that she'd find in the worst ever places possible. Her fire bending had improved immensely. But the main thing was she stopped crying. Gone were the days of when she was so sad and regretful. Even though she was (kind of) happy, she was lonely. She couldn't do this all on her own. There was one thing she regretted, only one. She wished she had her brothers back. Mako and Bolin, the soon-to-be Bending Brothers. Oh how she regretted running away. There wasn't a day that went by when she didn't think about it. It took up most her thoughts and she'd often have frustrating breakdowns when she was practising. If it would all just _stop_..._

I need a new haircut_, she decided one day, _I may be homeless but I don't have to _look_ it.

_Scarlett walked through the streets of the Earth Kingdom. She scanned the many shops and stalls until she found what she was looking for. Among the throngs of people she could just about see one old building wedged inbetween a noodle bar and a charity shop. A hairdressers, how delightful. She counted her money before entering. No one was there except a little old lady with the name 'Mary' on a badge pin. A sutible name, Scarlett had thought. A clear of her throat and Scarlett was talking. _

_ "Excuse me," she says in the most polite tone she could muster, "I would like a haircut."_

_ Mary smiled at the young woman of around thirteen. "Then you've come to the right place, follow me." Mary continued to walk to a chair where she motioned for Scarlett to sit on. The old woman was around fifty to sixty years old and wore plain beige colors. Unsual for someone from the Earth Kingdom._

_ Scarlett sat and stared at the vanity-type thing in front her. It looked as antique as the rest of the place. She stared at herself in the mirror. Her hair was long, _really _long. She didn't like that and she'd thought a long while about how she was getting it cut but she didn't know._

_ Mary draped an apron over herself so no hair would stick to her clothes. She smiled again at Scarlett through the mirror. "How would you like you hair cut?"_

_ Scarlett paused for a moment which the older lady took as choosing. "I'm sorry," Scarlett started, "I don't actually know and thought maybe you could just do what you would think would look best on me."_

_ Mary didn't seemed fazed by the request. "No worries, my dear. I'll see what I can do."_

**Authors Notes: Has anyone read my full story yet? No? Okay then. I'm just here to say that usually when I have whole paragraphs/chapters in Italic (that fancy type of writing above), it's supposed to be showing Scarlett's past. I'll try not to waste too much of the whole story on it. Sorry if there are grammical errors or misspelling of a word. I proofread over and over and try to deliver my best work. I would appreciate if you would leave a comment or even a request/idea for a story. And sorry this chapter is kind of short, I didn't want to add the next part in just yet. Okay, your awesome, bye!**


	5. Chapter 5: First Love

"Who?!"

Mako sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger, sighing wearily at his younger brother. "You know who! Don't say you don't..."

"I know who she was, alright? How couldn't I? Well?"

Mako looked up at Bolin, a bushy eyebrow raised. "Well what?"

"Where is she of course!" The Earthbender exclaimed, munching on some fire flakes as there was nothing else in the house. The chewing and crunching was agitating Mako even more than he need to be at that moment.

"Why would you want to see her, Bo? She left us! For her own ignorant reasons as well!" He bit back.

"She's still our sister, Mako! Imagine how lost she is after all this time... how lonely she would be... all alone... in a lonely place... We can't just leave her!"

"She left us first," Mako reminded him, his vocals cold and unfriendly, the atmosphere tense as the two brothers fought. Bolin was silenced for once, his emerald hues wide at how icy his brother was being. Mako couldn't look him in the eye; they just looked too much like hers... "And put away those damned fire flakes.." He said the last part in a whisper but Bolin already heard it.

Annoyed, Bolin stood up, placing the fire flakes back into their original place in the press. He seemed to have lost his apatite for the moment. Finally returning to his brother, whose hands were bare from their usual gloves and folded underneath his chest and his hazel hues still refusing to look up at his own, he spoke. "Remember how we used to be..." He said, his voice a mumbling whisper. "She doesn't have to go through that like we did..."

This time Mako's hazel optics were widened, maybe even some empathy in there. He, of course, remembered their orphan street days. He also knew they were rough, something no one should have to strive through. "Yes, I know... but..."

"There is no 'but' or 'if' Mako! You have to understand why I want to help her..."

Giving in with an exasperated sigh, the firebender spoke without the harsh tone digging into his voice. "Fine... She mightn't want to see me though. You can organise something with Kirra."

"Kirra knows her?"

Mako groaned.

* * *

_ "Tyler!" An unusually happy voice called, laughing as she was swept up off the ground by another, strong muscled arms wrapped around her waist and another grinning face buried in her short fiery hair._

_ "What? I'm just happy to see you!" He placed her down again after spinning around several times, grinning wickedly at the younger girl who turned back around to face him._

_ "I'm happy too, silly!" She replied evenly, shoving him playfully backwards. The young earthbender would truly become gorgeous when he would grow up; the flush across his defined cheekbones; those glittering irises prettier than her own; the dark brown hair that badly needed a trim curling around his temples and neck..._

_ "Scarlett," He said softly, his look not one without confusion. "You're staring. Why are you staring?"_

_ Scarlett was knocked out of her reverie with his words, a sheepish grin coming across her pink lips as she blushed feverishly. "Oh, it's nothing..."_


End file.
